Former chess world champion Ding Liren is set to make his comeback two months after losing his world title to 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju in Singapore in December last year.
The 32-year-old grandmaster who ha kept a ow profile since losing to Gukesh and took an extended break is set to return to action in the upcoming Chessable Masters, starting from February 16.
“That’s what the signing is for,” Liren told Chess.com after he signed for signed with Chinese esports organization LGD Gaming.
LGD Gaming is one of China’s oldest esports organizations, based in Ding’s hometown of Hangzhou.
“It’s funny how, when we were kids, online games were forbidden by parents. Now it’s being encouraged,” said Liren.
Liren has also confirmed that he will be taking part in Grand Swiss, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 3 to 16, and the World Rapid & Blitz Championship, which will be played in Doha, Qatar from December 26 to 31.
“This year will be less busy,” he said.
After three exhausting weeks in Singapore last year, Ding Liren, had said he will play more rapid and blitz than classical.
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“I think I will continue my career. Maybe just play lesser tournaments. Instead, I will play more rapid and blitz than classical,” he said.
Battling depression
Liren has revealed to a German newspaper that he was treated twice in a clinic for depression after he became the world champion in 2023 after beating Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Since he became world champion, he never seemed to enjoy the very act of sitting on a chess board and moving pieces. Coming into the 2024 world championship, the Chinese grandmaster had endured a run of 300 days without tasting success in classical chess. His rating tanked to 2,728 and his ranking was 23 in the world. He had looked a feeble facsimile of himself from the heady days of 2018 and 2019, when he had gone 100 games unbeaten.
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